9 to 5

Traditional methods of work standards are based on cost method. This method compares the number of hours that an employee worked against the quantity of product produced.

What are the problems with this method?

• The measurement criteria are not “better quality” or “less waste” but quantity of work done.
• These work standards mandate the number of work hours. A lot of time and effort is wasted trying to “make the number of hours” we are supposed to work.

The focus is not on delivering the best possible product for the customer, but on somehow “squeezing the number of hours”.

With the assumption that we cannot change the cost method of productivity measurement overnight, here is my thought on how we can overcome its limitations: Let us measure the “number of hours” for the purpose it is intended to be measured-costing. Give importance to improvement in process and quality and reduction of waste. This also means a focus-shift to providing good solutions to the customer and not just “working a number of hours”.

Considering the challenges one would face, this is no small accomplishment. But I believe improvements can always start in a small way and here are a few steps on how to:

1. Bring in a culture of identifying problems: Identifying the need for a better process or reduction of non-value added work is the first step towards improvement. A simple way to do this is to draw the process, may be on a sheet of paper. What we will notice is may be redundant work or even absolute lack of process!!
2. Devise methods to solve the problem: The second step is asking the question “How do we improve the process?” or “How do we eliminate waste in the process?” This is when we establish a method to solve the problem.
3. Define a process to apply the solution: In this step we define a process to implement the methods devised in step 2. This is essential as the methods to solve a problem may involve multiple stakeholders and a process ensures effective participation.
4. Measure success: Once the solution is applied, measure its success against the original problem statement.

What most organizations lack is the first step “Bring in a culture of identifying problems”. A culture shift is not possible without involvement from supervisors and the management.

Do you also believe the cost standard method we follow to measure productivity is flawed? Or do you believe it adds value? Have you ever tried to bring in a process improvement in your project/organization? Do you think the method above captures its essence? What were the challenges you faced with the process improvement? Please share your feedback and comments.

Standard and the beanstalk

Why do we tediously maintain multiple spreadsheets and documents for every project? Do all these documents add any value to the project? Do they even make sense? The answer is: Yes, these documents written and followed in the right manner can take any project a step closer to continuous improvement.

This post is inspired and derived from Toyota’s principle on standardization: “Standardized tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment” (The Toyota Way by Jeffrey K. Liker)

Let us first see what standardization is NOT:

• It is not about finding one best way to do things and freezing it.
• It is not a set of complex rules written to impress your quality audit team or your customers (we have all been there J)
• It is not a list of steps you impose on your developers.

So what is standardization?

• Standardization is a list of tips, best practices and quality procedures for an activity.
• Standardization is the bass for continuous process improvement.

Standards should be specific and simple enough for a developer to follow. However, standards are not rigid rules and a developer is free to innovate. The challenge here is to find a perfect balance between the set of rules and providing freedom to innovate.

Let me caution that just creating standards does not ensure improvement in quality. The real roadblock that most projects face is in ensuring that the team understands the importance of a standardized process. How do we overcome this?

Use standardization as an enabler:

• Nobody likes working on someone else’s detailed procedures. But people would happily contribute if they knew that they can learn tips and best practices in the process and also have the freedom to innovate.
• Involve the team in the standardization process. Be it a checklist for best coding practices or a standard to capture ever changing requirements in your project, make the standards creation process a team activity. This will ensure that the team appreciates and understands the importance of having these checklists and standards.
• Encourage the team to contribute. Appreciate innovative ideas and include them in your standardized process.
• Reward the team for improving the standards and quality of the project.

So whats your take on standardization? Do we create, use and maintain standards the way we should? Do you feel the chaos around us would be a little less if we standardized our work a little bit? Please share your comments and feedback.

Hello World!!

The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see.

-Ayn Rand

Why did this go wrong now??????

How come I didn’t see this????

I have always believed that it is easy to do a job right than spend all the time later to explain why you didn’t. These blog posts are my musings about what to attempt in order to reach a state of quality nirvana :)

I draw my inspiration for these posts from the books I have read especially “The Toyota Way by Jeffrey K. Liker” and my own sweet and sour personal experiences.

We all hope to build efficient business processes that make the world a better place and make our own lives simpler. I hope these posts give its readers an opportunity to think, debate and take a step, however small it is, in that direction.

To again quote my favourite author Ayn Rand,  

An error made on your own is safer than ten truths accepted on faith; because the first leaves you the means to correct it but the second destroys your capacity to distinguish truth from error.

Happy reading!!